Old services meet new media: a tweeting cabbie’s growing business

Sure, there are mobile apps for services like Taxi Magic and Uber that can …

"Can you pick me up at my place in 15 minutes? Text me when you get here." No, this isn't a text message to a friend or a call to a car service—it's a direct message sent through Twitter to a driver of a Chicago cab. Rashid Temuri, who goes by "Chicago Cabbie" online (@ChicagoCabbie on Twitter) has taken what would otherwise be considered a traditional taxi business and integrated it with social media in a way that is still exceedingly rare in the service industry. How much better can it be interacting your clients through Twitter, FourSquare, Facebook, or Google Latitude? Apparently a lot—Temuri is not only seeing success from his social media strategy, he's building a loyal repeat customer base because of it.

Here's how Temuri works: he, like most other licensed cabs in the US, works through a dispatching company (in this case, Flash Cabs). Normally he would put himself "on call" when he's on duty, meaning the company can send him to pick someone up when the client calls in. But instead of doing that, he has been posting when he's available on Twitter—for example, here's one of his recent tweets:

"Good morning #Chicago!! It's a wet wet day here. 41°. Take $5 OFF the meter from now till 2PM to any airport from anywhere. :-) #ORD #MDW"

In addition to tweeting, he also allows clients (or potential clients, as the case may be) to follow him on Google Latitude or Find My Friends so that people know wherever he is at any given time and can contact him when they need a ride. He offers free WiFi within his cab for iPhone and iPad users ("Don’t use your limited data!" he says), and plans to soon offer free WiFi for regular laptop users. Sometimes, as seen in the tweet above, Temuri gives discounts for his social media followers, and he always remembers who everyone is.

Temuri's iPad- and iPhone-using customers get free WiFi via his Clear iSpot, and he might even let you charge your phone if you ask.

"Honestly, I never looked at it as marketing nor I had that in mind when I started @ChicagoCabbie account," Temuri told Ars. "I started Twitter thinking I'll talk to people about taxi industry of Chicago. I feel there is a gap between taxi drivers and customers and there are lots of misunderstandings. They both are in such a defensive mode. They both feel like they have to protect themselves from the other and it's just so wrong. I joined Twitter to eliminate the gap between a taxi customer and taxi driver."

What started out as an earnest attempt to bridge the understanding gap between cabbies and clients has since flourished into a successful Internet-based business—one that Temuri says can sometimes be overwhelming, even to an old-school geek like himself. (Temuri told me about his days as a professional video editor, adding that he has a Mac Pro at home and uses his iPhone and iPad regularly.)

"It's been working out way better then I ever expected," he said. In fact, it has been working out so well that Temuri estimates his clientele is 90 to 95 percent repeat business—something that he thinks gives him a major leg up on the competition, not to mention that he's making genuine friends out of the fact that he's so easy to reach via "new" media methods. "I'm loving the fact that, not only will I be picking up somebody I've met several times, we sometimes start our conversation where we left off."

How does @ChicagoCabbie's business compare with other Internet connected services—namely the popular Taxi Magic app that is available for iOS, Android, and BlackBerry users? Taxi Magic allows users to book cabs and pay (with credit card) directly through the app in supported cities, plus it allows you to track your taxi's location—there is a similar app for car services, called Uber. "Taxi Magic is a good idea," Temuri said. "I personally like Taxi Magic, aside from the way their payment system works."

Temuri went on to explain that Taxi Magic charges extremely high fees to cab drivers who use it, though he does acknowledge the convenience to the customer. He also accepts credit cards and, as mentioned earlier, it's easy to track his location on one of several friend-tracking services. "My personal service gives me advantage, though," he said. "When you call me, you know who I am and who will be showing up at your door."

Indeed, personalized service from a driver you trust (or at least follow on Twitter), whom you can book without picking up a phone? That sounds like the kind of service you'd only get from more expensive car service, not a taxi cab. And at least for Temuri, his efforts in connecting with his customers online have paid off.

"My goal is to change this business to the point when you get into a taxi you feel comfortable, welcome and if its possible entertained, either by a taxi driver who's a good conversationalist or his gadget," Temuri said. "Traffic is just getting worse; your ride doesn't have to be. You shouldn't have to pay three times more to get a service like that from a car service."

Jacqui Cheng
Jacqui is an Editor at Large at Ars Technica, where she has spent the last eight years writing about Apple culture, gadgets, social networking, privacy, and more. Emailjacqui@arstechnica.com//Twitter@eJacqui